My Newsie Story, as told by Swifty!
by The Outsider Girl
Summary: Ever wonder how Swifty became a Newsie? Well here's his story, straight from his heart.


Swifty Story  
  
Personally I don't understand why Jack Kelly made a big deal about Santa Fe'. There isn't really anything worth looking forward to there.  
  
Hello my name is Swifty, so I guess you are waiting to hear my story of how I became a Newsboy.   
  
Here is a little bit of where I am coming from, I was born in Santa Fe' to my mom, she was a showgirl at some saloon. One day my mom didn't want to stay in Santa Fe' any more. So she bought two tickets to New York, my mom wanted to be a star, and she had the talent to do such. She was beautiful, and she told me that we will go to New York, and that she will be the belle of the stage. When we were on the train, mom wrapped her arm around me so that I could fall a sleep. I remember the song, just as she sang it:  
  
"Sleep tight my prince,  
  
Go and slay those dragons,  
  
Don't be afraid my prince,  
  
Just think, of me, as your angel above,  
  
I will be watching out for you, my love,  
  
Dream on, my son,  
  
Be the hero of the nights,  
  
Grab a sword take my word,  
  
And remember, mothers here.  
  
Sleep tight my little prince."  
  
I looked up at her, as she sang the song she made especially for me, "I Love you mom."  
  
"I love you too sweetie," My mom looked down at me, "Thomas, you will always be my number one guy, and don't you ever forget it."  
  
I fell asleep, while listening to my mom humming softly in my ear.  
  
When we finally reached New York, my mom, and I found a small flat in Manhattan. She found a job at a local bar, and sang her heart out for the no good drunks, that had gathered around. They allowed me to sit on the bar stool while my mom did her number, she always blue me a kiss when she was between songs. She had black curly hair, and chestnut brown eyes; she raised me on her own for the last eight years, since I was born. If you haven't guessed I was eight when I came to New York.  
  
That same Spring my mother met Charles Drake, he was from one of the up town houses. Everything went great the first couple of years, my mother was happy, and as long as she was happy I didn't complain. I loved to see her smile, especially when those smiles were met for me personally.  
  
I laid in my bed one evening with my mother beside me, she rubbed my back, "I love you mom."  
  
She was quiet for a couple of minutes; she leaned and whispered in my ear, "Thomas, are you happy here with Charles?"  
  
I turned onto my back, and stared at her, "As long as you are happy mom."  
  
She kissed my cheek, "I am vary happy, remember though, you will always be the number one guy in my life, no one, and I mean no one will ever come before you."  
  
Charles must have been listening to mine, and mom's personal conversation, cause he came to the door, and called for my mom to join him in the study.  
  
A man, who I recognized as one of Charles's assistants, came into my room, and then grabbed me, he covered my mouth, and lead me to Charles's office, "Here you go Mr. Drake."  
  
Charles smiled at the man, "Thank you, please leave Thomas and I alone for a moment," he watched as the guy left the room then he turned to me, "I love your mom very much, and I come to realize she pays more attention to you then me," he lowered himself and looked me in the eye, "Do you love your mom boy?"  
  
I nodded, "Yes sir."  
  
He smiled, "And you don't want her to get hurt right?"  
  
I looked at him puzzled, "Of course I don't," I could see his soft eyes build up with threat, "What are you going to do with her?"  
  
He laughed a little, "Nothing, if……."  
  
"If what?" I could feel my heart beating.  
  
"If you run away and never return," He leaned back against his desk, and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Your fourteen now, I gave you plenty of time to stay here, I could have thrown you out when you were eight, or anytime actually."   
  
I looked at him, "If I run away, you promise to not hurt my mom?"  
  
He grinned, "Precisely."  
  
I stared at him hard, "She will notice that I am not around, this is a big house, but it isn't that big of a house for her to think I am always in the restroom or something."  
  
"That is one thing I always admired about you kid, you got a humor," He smiled, "No doubt it comes from your mom's side."  
  
"How do you expect my mom to believe that I just decided to run away?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest, and stared at him.  
  
"I will pretend to send out a search party, then a couple of weeks later we'll find evidence that you weren't found but your shirt was, then we'll just assume your dead," He made it sound like it was as easy as opening a door, "Jessica will go on with her life, we'll have children, and she will soon not think of you so much anymore."  
  
"What if I decide to stay?" I glared at him.  
  
"Then I will make your mom, and you suffer for the rest of your lives," He glared at me this time, "So what is it going to be Thomas?"  
  
If I forgot to mention earlier in my story, Jessica was my moms name, I didn't want anything to happen to my mom, so I looked at Charles, "I will leave."  
  
The same man, who took me from my bed, threw me onto the streets, I started walking around the big city. All I had was a bag with a couple of shirts, underwear, and pant's, and five dollars. I didn't know what to do. I remember thinking that Charles, could had waited until the next morning to kick me out. Then I also thought about the life of my mother rested in my hands, and I hoped I made the right decision. I climbed up a fire escape and camped out on top if an apartment building I think it was. When I woke up I heard a whole bunch of other kids close by, I looked over the edge and saw a whole lot of other kids collecting newspapers, and shout out various headlines. I thought that was a way for me to make at least a couple more money, so I climbed down the fire escape and stood in line, after I got my papers I headed towards the place that I now come to know as the square. I set my things down, and began to shout whatever headlines popped in to mind. Finally when I finished I turned to get my stuff, and saw another kid my age run off with it. I chased him all the way into the building that read 'Newsboy Lodging House.'  
  
The kid looked at another boy and laughed, "Told you I could get him to come."  
  
The other kid laughed, "You sure did Snitch, and as I could tell he must be a pretty fast runner to keep up with you," the kid looked at me, :"How you doing, the names Skittery, we saw you this morning looking down at us, Snitch here is the best thief we got, he could have taken your stuff with out you knowing, but as you could see he made it a point for you to see, and follow him here."  
  
I rolled my eyes at Snitch, "Yeah right."  
  
Snitch grabbed me by the collar, "Yeah he is right, you want proof?"  
  
I nodded, "That might help convince me."  
  
Snitch straightened my collar, "Okay how could I prove it to you?"  
  
I shrugged my shoulder, "Don't know, you're the master mind here," I took the pocket watch I had gotten form his belt loop as he was dusting me up, "like my watch?"  
  
Snitch stared wide eyed at me, "Hey, I'll give you back your pocket watch, if you give me mine."  
  
I checked my pocket's, "Hey!"  
  
Skittery stared wide eyed at the both of us, then looked at another kid, who had just walked into the building, "Race now we got double trouble."  
  
Race looked at him, "What you talking about?"  
  
Skittery looked at me, then Race, "Race this is, actually I didn't catch your name."  
  
"I didn't throw it," I crossed my arms.  
  
Snitch fell back on the couch laughing, "That is too funny, Swifty you and I are going to get along great."  
  
I just remembered he had my pocket watch, and he had mine, "Give me my watch Snitch."  
  
Snitch threw it into my hands, "Give me mine now."  
  
I swung it side to side pretending to study it, "I might be able to get a pretty penny for this."  
  
Snitch's jaw dropped, "What?"  
  
Race looked at Skittery, "I think I missed a couple of chapters, what's going on with the watch thing?"  
  
Skittery grinned, "Swifty took Snitch's watch, while Snitch took Swifty's watch and they both didn't know they took each others watches."  
  
I laughed, "Yeah, but before he did that, he lured me here by pretending to steal my things."  
  
Race laughed, "Yeah he'll do that sometimes, I sometimes wonder how him and Itey could be related, and be so different."  
  
I stared at Snitch, "There more of you?"  
  
Skittery laughed, "Yeah but don't worry, itey pretty much keeps to himself, how old are you?"  
  
"I am fourteen, how bout you guys?" I looked at Skittery.  
  
"I am the same, fourteen," Skittery looked at Race.  
  
Race looked at me, "Fourteen."  
  
Snitch grinned, "Just turned eleven, and my brother turned ten last week."  
  
I never would have guessed that Snitch was that young.  
  
Later on that evening I met two Jack Kelly, Mush, Specs, and Bumlets, along with Itey.   
  
Later on, in the same month Dutchy came to the lodging house. Skittery, Snitch and I became really close friends. All the Newsies became one big family after the strike against this Pulitzer guy, who ran 'The World', he decided to raise paper prices for us Newsies so we all went on strike. When it didn't work, we all decided to have the strike for all the working boys of New York, and that is how we one. We finally got Pulitzer to hear us.   
  
Three years later, I went to my moms house, I climbed up a tree and peaked inside my old bedroom window, and saw a baby crib inside, and my mom was sitting with my new, what looked like sis, she was beautiful. I watch my sister grow, I sneak up to the window during the evenings regularly now.   
  
One time when they had the window open, I climbed through the window, and sat beside my sisters crib and watched her sleep. She was three years old and looked exactly like mom.   
  
She looked up at me and smile, "Hi."  
  
I touched her hand, and whispered, "Hi there I am Swifty," I saw a picture of my mom holding her on the table beside her crib, I took it and placed it in my pocket.  
  
My sister pointed to a picture on the wall, "Swifty!"   
  
I looked hard at the picture, it was of my mom holding me when I was eight years old, I turned towards my sister, and kissed her cheek, "I love you, bye," I climbed down the side of the building and headed back to the lodging house.  
  
Skittery heard me sneak in, "Did you see your mother?"  
  
I shook my head, "I saw my sister, she is in my old room, she must be three now, and she recognized me from the picture on the wall of my mom and me, I said that I was Swifty, then she pointed to the picture that I just told you about and repeated Swifty."  
  
Skittery smiled, "Well at least she saw you."  
  
I nodded, "Yeah at least."  
  
That memory still lives in my mind till this day, my sister smiling at me from her crib. I always know that I have people that care for me, My mom, and sister, and my other brothers the Newsies.  
  
I really am glad that I had the chance to share my story with you, remember always, "Headlines don't sale papes, Newsies sale papes." 


End file.
